Lewis Hamilton issued three-race warning as Brundle declares ‘no excuses’
Image credit: Scuderia Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton will have a maximum of three races to get up to speed at Ferrari at the start of the F1 2025 season.
That is the claim of Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle, who believes the seven-time World Champion has “already” shown that he is worth a reported $57million salary at Ferrari.
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A report from Italy on Saturday claimed that Ferrari are prepared to impose team orders on Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc at an early stage of F1 2025 in order to give the team the best possible chance of winning a first World Championship of any kind since 2008.
It comes amid expectations that the F1 2025 campaign, the final year of the current rules, could be the most competitive in some time after Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and Constructors’ Champions McLaren all won multiple races across 2024.
Hamilton and Leclerc are expected to be treated as equals at the start of the season, with Ferrari fielding a ‘two-pronged attack’ from the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 16.
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However, it is said that the first few races ‘could already be decisive in establishing a new hierarchical order’ within the team if one driver makes a particularly strong start.
Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal, revealed shortly after his appointment in December 2022 that he will not hesitate to take tough decisions on team orders if the circumstances call for decisive action.
The rumours have increased the pressure on Hamilton, who conceded that he is “not fast anymore” at the end of last season after being heavily beaten by Mercedes team-mate George Russell in qualifying, to make a fast start to life at Ferrari in order to avoid falling into a wingman role to Leclerc.
Brundle believes Hamilton – making just the second team switch of his F1 career – must be fully up to speed in time for the third race, the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on April 6, to meet Ferrari’s expectations.
Asked if Hamilton needs to start quickly at Ferrari, Brundle told Sky Sports News: “He’s got to do that. He’s got to use his experience.
“There are no excuses at this level for anybody, even the rookies, but you might give the rookies half a season to get their act together, maximum.
“They will expect somebody like Lewis to have aced the people around him and the car within two or three races, to be honest.
“Never underestimate Lewis Hamilton.”
Hamilton was treated to a warm reception upon his first official visits to Ferrari’s Maranello factory and Fiorano test track last month, with hundreds of fans flocking to witness his on-track debut with the team.
However, the 40-year-old’s preparations for the new season suffered a setback this week in Barcelona, where he crashed in a private test.
It raised further doubts over Ferrari’s decision to sign Hamilton, with former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan claiming last year that president John Elkann “must have rocks in his head” to have replaced Carlos Sainz.
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Hamilton is reportedly set to earn around $57m during his first season at Ferrari, having signed a multi-year contract with the Scuderia last year.
And Brundle believes Hamilton has already demonstrated to Ferrari that he is worth every penny even though the first race of F1 2025 is still more than a month away, describing the move as “the gift that will keep giving.”
Asked if Hamilton is worth the money, Brundle added: “Unquestionably. Already.
“Two of the biggest names in the 75-year history of Formula 1 – some would maybe say the biggest two names in Ferrari and Hamilton – are getting together.
“Lewis dressed all in the red, the scarlet of the prancing horse. An absolutely extraordinary story, the gift that will keep giving for us.
“But I think he will [succeed]. He had all that time at McLaren, then Mercedes.
“This is only his third team in Formula 1 and he’ll want to go there and show that despite just turning 40, he’s not over the hill like some people saying last year and he wants to show he’s made the right decision again.
“I think he’ll go there full of energy. Bit of a challenge, though, because he’s in a different language, has to understand where all the green buttons are in a team.
“He’s left behind Bono, his famous engineer, and the comfort zone of Mercedes, so it won’t be that easy.
“And that’s why, I think, he’s parachuted back in Angela [Cullen, trainer] and his manager, Marc Hynes, to get a team around him.
“Some big challenges [ahead]. Charles Leclerc, his team-mate, has been there for seven years, knows exactly where all the green buttons are and who does what, who makes things happen, and so Lewis will have to face that.
“Leclerc is incredibly fast, but I have no doubt that if Ferrari have a race-winning car or a championship-winning car, then Lewis can win races and even the championship.”
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